1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic musical instrument that includes a local-on play function and a local-off play function.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, electronic musical instruments are well known that have a local-on play function, which performs tone production in consonance with tone data generated by an internal tone generating means, and a local-off play function, which does not perform tone production in consonance with tone data from an internal tone generating means and outputs only an MIDI signal to an external device.
Conventionally, to perform local-off playing in consonance with a keyboard tone generator, such an electronic musical instrument outputs an MIDI signal externally in response to key depression or release at the keyboard. More specifically, when at least one key on the keyboard has been depressed, the electronic musical instrument externally outputs an MIDI signal indicating that at least one key is depressed, and when at least one key of the keyboard is released, the electronic musical instrument externally outputs an MIDI signal indicating that at least one key has been released.
In a conventional electronic musical instrument which incorporates automatic play means that performs automatic playing in consonance with automatic play data, when an MIDI signal is output for tone data that is generated by an automatic play data generator of the automatic play means, i.e., when the electronic musical instrument is in an ACC-ON state (the counter condition is an ACC-OFF state), those tone data, from either the keyboard tone generator or from the automatic play data generator, in consonance with which musical tones are being produced are erased, and new selected tone data for the production of musical tones are registered. This series of processes is required following the selection, by panel operation means, of either the mode in which the keyboard tone generator is activated or the mode in which an automatic play data generator is activated, and of a mode/part, such as a tone quality and a timbre.
In other words, it is necessary to perform an assigner process, that is, a tone channel assignment, to store the ON/OFF state of specific tone data.
The assigner process for a conventional electronic musical instrument is performed on the premise that tone production in the electronic musical instrument, i.e., local-on play, is performed. The conventional electronic musical instrument, therefore, cannot execute local-off play that externally outputs tone data, which has been generated by an automatic play data generator, as an independent MIDI signal.